Safety razor



.Fuy 8, 1924. 1,500,165

T. 'rHoRPE SAFETY RAZOR Original Filed lan. 22. 1920 l* Si@ A TTOH/VEYS Patented duly 8, i924..

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SAFETY RAZOR.

Application led January 22, 1920, Serial No. 353,136. Renewed June 13, 1922. Serial No. 568,009.

To aZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, TowNsnND Tnonrn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilmington, in the county of New Castle and State of Delaware, have invented a new and useful Improvement in'Safety Razors, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to safety razors, and more particularly to a safety razor 4capable of utilizing various forms of safety razor blades now 'manufactured, my primary object being the provision-of a safety razor which may be readily manufactured at small cost whichinvolves in its make-up a minimum number of parts and which can be easily cleaned and readily maintained Vin a highly sanitary condition at all times.

A' further object is the provision of a safety razor including a head and a handle,

each of which may be stamped from a singlepiece of material and each of which may be completely formed in va minimum number of operations and a further object is the provision of an arrangementY wherein the handle and the head may be readily connected in operative relation.: f

A still further object is the provision of a safety razor in which the handle is reversible withrespect to the head Aand the blade so held as'to permit of-use of the same against the face in the shaving operation similar to the use of an ordinary shank razor. Y Y

A still `further object is the provision of a safety razor in which the cutting edge of ,the blade is maintained in firm even uniform contact with the guard along its entire length and is held thereagainst under pressure at all times to insure perfect safety in the shaving operation.V

In the accompanying drawing I have shown the preferred form of my invention in the several figures, of which Figure 1 is a perspective View of the complete razor with the handle in inoperative position,

Figure 2 is a transverse section, the handle being in operative position, and

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section with the handle in inverted position with respect to Figure 1.

Referring now to these gures my invention proposes a safety razor consisting of a head 10 and a handle 11, the latter being in the form of an elongated slightly curved strip of metal which for a portion of its length is preferably lnurled or otherwise roughened as at 12 to provide for effective grip in the hand.

Both the head 10 and the handle 11 are stamped from a single piece of material, the former being of generally rectangular shape with a portion of its material along one longitudinal edge upset to form an approximately seini-cylindrical guard 13 provided with a series of transverse slots la in its length. The formation and shaping of this guard 13 leaves a slot 15 between the same and the body of the head 10 the latter of which is slightly curved to form an upper convex blade-flexing surface 16 on which a blade 17 is disposed with one edge extending forwardly through the slot 15 and beneath the guard 13, so that when the blade is fieXed against the surface 16 its forward edge will be pressed upwardly into firm even uniform contact with the lower surface of the guard 13 along its entire length.

The head 10 is provided along its opposite longitudinal edge with an upstanding flange 18 and at a point intermediate the ends of this flange the handle 11 is pivoted at 19 at a. point intermediate its ends, the pivot 19 having an ova-sliaped clamping cam 2O at its inner end adjacent to the inner surface of flange 18 which stands with its longest axis parallel to the head 10 when the handle is turned at right angles to the plane of the head as seen particularly in Figure 3 and which is turned with the movement of the handle 11 in either direction so as to engage the rear edge of the blade 17 and press the same downwardly when the handle is turned in either direction into parallel relation to the head 10. It is thus obvious that the clamping action against the blade, to flex the latter downwardly against the blade-iiexing surface 16 of the head, takes place upon movement of the handle to either side of the head and it is thus obvious that the razor as a whole is reversible to provide for convenient action against either side of the face in use.

At relatively opposite sides of its pivot 19 the handle 11 is provided with means adapted for relative engagement with portions of the flange 18 to hold the handle in its two operative positions against acci dental displacement and these means may as shown, take the form of nibs and the like 2l formed on the handle for engagement in recesses or depressions of the flange 1S.

It is thus obvious that in use a flexible blade of various types at present manufactured is placed upon the upper surface of the head l0 or to be more particular upon the bladeflexiug surhue i6, with one cutting edge ofthe blade extending through the slot l5 to approximately the median line of the lower surface of the guard 13, the opposite edge of the blade extending beneathl the clamping cani 2O with the handle ll in its convex position at right angles to the plane of the head l0 The handle is then rotated on its pivot T9 in either direction, to an operative position parallel to the plane of the head1() until the nibs 21 engage within the depressions or recesses 22, which the inherent iexibility of the handle permits, and in this position, shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, the cam 2O will be rotated to the active position also shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, forcing the rear edge of the blade 17 downwardly and liexing the same on surface 16 so as to force its cutting edge firmly and evenly againstthe guard.

In this way the razor when finally ready for use may be applied with equal facility and in the same manner to either side of the face with the cutting edge of the blade preceding the stroke as in connection with the ordina-ry old-style or shank razor, and it is obvious that when the operation is completed the blade may be readily disasseciated from the head by first rotating the handle to inactive position, and upon removal of the blade the head and in fact all parts of the razor may be readily cleansed and wiped in view of full exposure of all surfaces thereof.

l claim l. A safety razor comprising a head having its body curved to provide an upper convex blade-flexing surface and provided with a portion thereof along one edge up set in approximately semi-cylindrical form to constitute a guard, the head having a slot between its said surface and the guard, and having a flange along the opposite side of its said surface, and a handle pivoted to the flange to swing toward either side into parallel relation with the head, the pivot of said handle having a blade engaging cani adjacent to the inner surface of the flange, as described.

A safety razor comprising a head in the form of a curved plate presenting an upper convex blade-flexing surface and having an integral guard along one side of said surface and a slot between the guard and the surface.` said guard having a lower convex blade receiving surface and said head having an upstanding flange along the opposite side of its said surface, and a handle pivotallyk connected to the flange of the head to swing into and out of parallel relation to the head and having a blade-flexing-cam adjacent to the inner surface of the flange, as described.

8. A safety razor comprising a head having an upper convex surface, a guard along one side of said surface having a lower convex surface, said head having a slot between its blade-receiving surface and the guard and having an upst-anding flange along the opposite side of its said surface, and a handle pivoted to the said flange and provided with a blade engaging member movable therewith.

4l. A safety razor including a head having a curved plate forming a blade-flexing surface and having an oppositely curved guard along one side of said plate and a slot between the said surface and the guard, a blade having its free edge extending through said slot and beneath the said guard and blade engaging means for exing the blade on the said blade-flexing surface.

5. A safety razor havingk a head provided with a convexly curved blade receiving surface, a guard along one side of said surface and curved oppositely with respect to the same, said head having a slot between the guard and its said surface, a blade on the said surface having its cutting edge extending through the slot and beneath said guard and blade engaging and flexing means in connection with the head at the opposite side of its said surface engageable with vthe opposite edge of the blade` as described.

TOWNSEND THOR-PE. 

